Career Intern Program Growing

The Federal Career Intern Program, which is available both for hiring from outside the government and for those already inside government who wish to change jobs, has grown rapidly in the last few years, the Merit Systems Protection Board has reported. The program accounted for more than 7,000 of the government’s 38,000 hires in fiscal 2004 in the GS-5 to -9 range, compared with only about 400 in 2001. The program is now second only to competitive examinations, which accounted for about 11,500, as a route into such jobs. Most of the other hiring is done through various government-wide special appointing authorities including direct hires, the outstanding scholar program and veterans recruitment appointments, as well as into agencies with separate hiring procedures.